( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
MY FIRST GUEST HAS SPENT 20 YEARS IN POLITICS, AND WORKED
FOR TWO PRESIDENTS. SHE WAS JUST NAMED THE NEW
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY. PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE
SHOW," KARINE JEAN-PIERRE! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING )
AUDIENCE THAN I DO. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A BETTER CROWD THAN YOU
GET ON A DAILY BASIS. >> THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
CAN I JUST SAY HELLO TO MY MOM? >> Stephen: OF COURSE.
HE IS RIGHT THERE IN THE RED.
>> Stephen: OH! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HELLO. THAT'S NICE.
WE LIKE MOMS HERE. >> YEAH, AND, YOU KNOW I'M FROM
NEW YORK, SO I'M HOME. >> Stephen: THAT'S EXCELLENT.
I GET TO SEE EVERYONE. >> Stephen: CON G INTERVIEWING N
SENATOR HARRIS IN THE 2019 CAMPAIGN AND YOU DEFENDED HER
FROM A PROTESTER ON STAGE. LOOK AT THAT ACTION SHOT RIGHT
THERE. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HE CAME TO GRAB HER MIC. >> YEP.
>> Stephen: IN YOUR INTERVIEW PRACTICE, HOW MUCH WAS YOUR
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT A LEG UP IN GETTING THE JOB.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, STEPHEN, THEY SAY POLITICS IS A COMBAT SPORT.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM. O YOU SAW THAT IN REAL LIFE.
>> Stephen: THEY WANT TO BREAK IT OUT ON THE FRONT ROW OF THE
PRESS ROOM? >> NO, I LOVE EVERYONE, STEPHEN.
I LOVE EVERYBODY. >> Stephen: YEAH.
MM-HMM. >> Stephen: YOU'RE IN THE
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, THE PRESS IS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT. >> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: NOT TO BE REDUCTIVE BUT IT'S LIKE THE
PUBLIC RELATION FORCE THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> MM-HMM. >> Stephen: HOW DOES IT FEEL
AS ESSENTIALLY THE TOP P.R. PERSON WHEN YOUR BOSS THE
PRESIDENT IS GETTING DRAGGED IN THE PRISS?
WHEN YOU SOME IDIOT IN LATE NIGHT MAKING A JOKE ABOUT YOUR
BOSS -- I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND -- HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
( LAUGHTER ) >> DIAL THAT FRIEND UP.
>> Stephen: YEAH. O I THINK YOU ALL HAVE A JOB
FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO MAKE THEM LAUGH, AND WE HAVE A JOB
FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO DELIVER.
YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE YOUR
JOB, WE HAVE OUR JOB. >> Stephen: NO HARD FEELINGS.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND THE PRESIDENT ABSOLUTELY
GETS THAT. >> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.
IS HE GOING TO COME ON? >> OH, THAT'S WHERE YOU WERE
GOING. >> Stephen: IS HE GOING TO
COME ON BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ON FALON --
>> YOU'RE KEEPING TRACK. >> Stephen: WE'RE DEAR
FRIENDS, OBVIOUSLY. >> HE LOVES YOU AND I'M SURE
HE'S WATCHING. >> Stephen: SURE.
YEAH. ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: SO, WHEN Y'ALL CAME INTO OFFICE 18 MONTHS AGO,
ONE OF THE GOALS STATED WAS TO KIND OF REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THAT PRESS OFFICE AND THE PRESS.
HOW WAS THAT GOING AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT WHEN SOME MEMBERS OF
THE PRESS WON'T AGREE ON WHAT REALITY IS?
>> SOME MEMBERS OF THE PRESS? >> Stephen: SOME MEMBERS OF
THE PRESS. >> LOOK, I THINK THE WAY THAT I
SEE IT IS MY JOB, OUR JOB, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DELIVERING
THE FACTS, DELIVERING WHAT THE PRESIDENT'S AGENDA IS, AND
THAT'S OUR FOCUS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE -- WE DO EVERY DAY, AND
WE REALLY WORKED -- HAVE WORKED THE LAST 18, 19 MONTHS TO REPAIR
THAT RELATIONSHIP, AND THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A GIVE AND
TALK, ALWAYS GOING TO BE A LITTLE PULL AND TUG, BUT THAT'S
OKAY, THAT'S DEMOCRACY, THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, THE INDY
OF THE PRESS, AND, YOU KNOW, WE SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
REALLY BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO ALL OF YOU, TO ALL OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>> Stephen: SINCE YOU STARTED, AL-ZAWAHRI WAS KILLED, GAS
PRICES ARE BELOW $4 A GALLON, INFLATION HAS BEGUN TO EASE, THE
BURN PIT LEGISLATION WAS PASSED. MASSIVE CLIMATE BILL IS SET TO
PASS TOMORROW, WHAT IS THE KEY TO MAKING ALL THAT HAPPEN SO
FAST? ARE YOU THE REASON WHY THIS HAS
HAPPENED? ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
OR IS IT THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN IN ISOLATION
WITH COVID FOR A LOT OF THAT? >> I THINK, LOOK, I THINK IT'S
THIS, I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE -- WE HAVE A PRESIDENT
WHO HAS THE EXPERIENCE, WHO IS COMMITTED, WHO HAS THE CORE OF
HIS CONVICTION. IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHY
PRESIDENT BIDEN RAN IN 2019, IT'S BECAUSE HE SAW WHAT WAS
HAPPENING TO THE CORE VALUES OF OUR COUNTRY, THE TRADITIONS, WE
WERE BEING ATTACKED, IT WAS BEING THREATENED, AND HE SAW THE
LITTLE GUY, EVERYDAY PEOPLE, WERE BEING LEFT BEHIND, AND, SO,
HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LIFT PEOPLE UP FROM THE BOTTOM
UP AND REALLY BRING OUT THE ECONOMY FROM THE BOTTOM UP AS
WELL AND MIDDLE OUT. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING.
THIS IS THE WORK OF THIS PRESIDENT FOR THE LAST 19
MONTHS, SINCE THE PROMISES HE MADE IN 2019, YOU'VE GOT TO
REMEMBER, HE WAS A SENATOR, A VICE PRESIDENT.
A LOT OF THIS STUFF IS WORK HE'S BEEN COMMITTED TO FOR SO LONG
AND NOW, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, MY
GOSH, IF THIS GETS DONE -- AND IT WILL BECAUSE THE SPEAKER AND
OUR LEADERSHIP IS GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN ABOUT 24 HOURS --
IT IS GOING TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND THAT IS NOT TALKING
POINTS, THAT IS JUST THE FACTS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS, THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE -- AND I CAN SPEAK TO THIS
PERSONALLY, THE PRESIDENT CAN SPEAK TO THIS PERSONALLY -- WHEN
YOU HAVE AN ELDERLY PARENT AND THEY ARE GETTING THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION THAT'S COMING TO
THEIR HOME BECAUSE THEY NEED IT, THEY EITHER HAVE A CHRONIC
ILLNESS AND THEY HAVE TO JUST SURVIVE, AND THE REST OF THE
FAMILY COMES TOGETHER, AND THEY'RE, LIKE, OKAY, HOW ARE WE
GOING TO CHIP IN TO HELP MOM OR DAD PAY FOR THESE PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS? AND YOU THINK ABOUT THIS BILL,
THIS ANTI--- BASICALLY THIS ANTI-INFLATION BILL, IT IS GOING
TO CUT COSTS, LOWER COSTS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, CAP IT AT
$2,000 A YEAR, THAT IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SO MANY
AMERICANS. YOU THINK ABOUT --
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU KNOW, IT MATTERS.
>> Stephen: WELL, IT'S SO LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
>> NICE TO MEET YOU, STEPHEN. >> Stephen: GIVE MY BEST TO
YOUR MOTHER. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, EVERYBODY! WE'LL BE BACK WITH
"SHE-HULK'S" TATIANA MASLANY.